Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Rock music appeared in the 50s of the last century and after a relatively short time has become one of the most popular genres. A huge number of rock bands appeared, but only a few of them managed to become real legends, with huge album circulations and millions of loyal fans around the world. We present to you our selection of eleven of the most significant and popular rock bands for the entire existence of the genre.
Ranking of the best rock bands of all time
| Nomination | a place | rock band | rating |
| Ranking of the best rock bands of all time | 1 | The beatles | 5.0 |
| 2 | Nirvana | 4.9 | |
| 3 | Queen | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Led zeppelin | 4.7 | |
| 5 | Pink floyd | 4.6 | |
| 6 | The rolling stones | 4.5 | |
| 7 | AC / DC | 4.5 | |
| 8 | Metallica | 4.5 | |
| 9 | Aerosmith | 4.4 | |
| 10 | U2 | 4.3 | |
| 11 | Kiss | 4.3 |
The beatles
Rating: 5.0
Musicologists and ordinary rock aficionados alike believe the Beatles are one of the greatest bands in history. The success of the four young performers was simply phenomenal, no one was as popular on both sides of the ocean and had such a strong influence on the development of musical art. The group can be confidently called an icon of its time.
The Beatles was formed in 1960 by the young and ambitious Liverpool musician John Lennon. The original line-up changed after Lennon met Paul McCartney. About a year later, 15-year-old George Harrison joined them, and over time, the group was joined by a drummer named Ringo Starr. As their popularity grew, the Beatles moved to London, where in February 1963 they recorded their debut album in a surprisingly short time – in just one day. A year later, their second album was released, after which the Beatles came to an overwhelming success, nicknamed Beatlemania. The musicians collected huge stadiums, and the sales of their discs broke all records. News about the group flashed in the largest newspapers in different countries, and teenagers en masse imitated the members of the group in their hairstyles and manner of dress. In 1965, the album “Help!” Was released, containing the famous “Yesterday”. In the same year, the Beatles were awarded the Order of the British Empire for their contribution to the country's culture.
During its existence, the group has published 13 studio albums and gave almost one and a half thousand concerts around the world.
Nirvana
Rating: 4.9
An iconic and recognizable group, a real symbol of the rebellious youth spirit of the 90s. Thanks to the work of this group, there was a huge surge in the popularity of the grunge style, which was previously held in high esteem only in a relatively narrow circle of hardcore punk fans.
Nirvana was formed in 1988 in the American city of Seattle. The first full-length album, “Bleach”, was released a year later, after which the group toured the country, visiting 26 cities with concerts. Even then, the audience accepted the songs of the group extremely favorably. But real glory was yet to come.
The most successful album “Nevermind”, which includes the corrosive and unforgettable “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, the musicians recorded two months in Los Angeles. The initial circulation was 250,000 copies, but in the end the surging wild popularity led to millions of copies. Also, thanks to the influence of Nirvana, there has been an evolution in the field of fashion, grunge has become a sought-after style in clothing and design.
Although their work was accompanied by absolute success, the lead singer of the group, Kurt Cobain suffered from depression and drug addiction, which led to his tragic death in April 1994, after which the group disbanded. But despite its relatively short stint on the musical Olympus, Nirvana is still an iconic rock band to this day.
Queen
Rating: 4.8
Queen is known for its memorable compositions and original style. They were also among the first to release clips with editing and special effects. The talented vocals of Freddie Mercury and the mixture of rock with glam and jazz made the band's creativity especially bright.
The foundation for future success was laid in his student years with the creation of a collective, then called 1984, in honor of the famous dystopian novel by George Orwell. It was played by Tim Staffell and Brian May, students of the College of Art. The beginning musicians gave their first concert in 1964.
1970 was a turning point when Farukh Bulsara joined the group, who proposed a new name for Queen, and he himself took the stage name Freddie Mercury. The collective gradually gained popularity, but world fame came only after the third studio album “Sheer Heart Attack”. Soon after, the single “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, which immediately rose to the top of the music charts. By the time the famous “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You” appeared, the group had millions of fans.
Despite the illness and death of Freddie Mercury, Queen's main star, the band continues its concert activities to this day.
Led zeppelin
Rating: 4.7
British band Led Zeppelin are renowned for their uniquely diverse sound and mix of styles. She had a significant impact on the further development of heavy metal, hard rock, and modern musical art in general. The undoubted success of the group is evidenced by the circulation of albums, which amounts to more than 300 million copies. Led Zeppelin has been voted the best band of the 70s and is one of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists.
The creative team was formed in 1968 in London, at the peak of the popularity of the hippie movement. The musicians drew inspiration not only from rock and roll and similar genres, but even from folk ballads and oriental tunes. The debut album, Led Zeppelin, was recorded in just 36 hours. The second album was created on the road, during a tour of the USA and Great Britain. Their fourth album, which is still included in the lists of the best rock music of all times and peoples, became a landmark. It contained such famous compositions as “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven”.
After the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, the band announced they would cease activities, recording their last farewell album “Coda”.
Pink floyd
Rating: 4.6
True legends of psychedelic rock, who also showed themselves in the styles of art-rock and progressive rock. Pink Floyd are known both for their unforgettable musical style and for their use of state-of-the-art techniques during their performances. The concerts were accompanied by laser shows, animations and videos. A separate topic is the lyrics of songs, which contain powerful semantic content, most often raising acute social problems.
The group was formed in 1965 by Sid Barrett, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason, who were students at the time. The name Pink Floyd was a reference to the names of two of Barrett's idols: blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Sid Barrett particularly stood out among the band members as a talented guitarist, composer and lyricist. Their first album, The Piper At The Gate Of Dawn, was filled with bizarre fantasy compositions inspired by Barrett's LSD experiments. However, soon, due to the deterioration of his mental state, he had to leave the group.
In 1971, the album “Meddle” was released, containing the cult song “Echoes”. Two years later, Pink Floyd recorded “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, which for over 15 years was included in the American rating of 200 best albums.
The album “Delicate Sound of Thunder” became famous in a special way – it was the first rock music that sounded in space, aboard the Soviet Union TM-7.
At this time, the group members are focused on solo projects.
The rolling stones
Rating: 4.5
Many fans and critics are sure that the work of this legendary group will not lose its relevance for many decades to come. The Rolling Stones are deservedly called veterans of rock and roll and are considered the most important part of world music history. The success of the group speaks for itself – the worldwide circulation of sold albums is in the hundreds of millions.
It all began in the 1960s with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' passion for American blues. Soon the friends moved to London, where they founded a group, borrowing the name from one of Muddy Waters' compositions. The Rolling Stones began by reimagining the classic blues tunes with rock treatment, but gradually developed their own unique style.
The release of their debut album and the ensuing tour were marked by massive fan hysteria. Concert riots and riotous fan behavior became commonplace. And with the growth of fame and the release of a number of new albums, the number of loyal fans only grew. The most successful album is considered “Exile on Main St”, released in 1972. But most of all, the group became famous for singles such as “Paint It Black” and “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”.
1993 was an important milestone in the history of The Rolling Stones – since then a permanent “ageless” team has formed, which included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts. The four musicians continued to conquer the audience with their unique charisma.
Nowadays, despite the fact that the band members are already over 70, they still gather full stadiums of listeners at their concerts.
AC / DC
Rating: 4.5
The influence of the Australian rock band AC / DC is hard to overestimate, its energetic compositions have served as a source of inspiration for many new bands and musicians performing punk rock, alternative rock, metal, grunge and other styles.
The name for the group, created in 1973, was invented by its first members, Malcolm and Angus Youngi. The brothers saw the AC / DC lettering on a sewing machine for alternating and direct current and decided that such an acronym perfectly conveys the rough energy of live rock concerts.
Fame came after participating in the television show “Countdown”, broadcast in Australia. Even then, the musicians were known for their powerful shows and provocative lyrics. Gradually, the group managed to achieve success on the British stage, and the release of the album “Highway To Hell” took AC / DC to the top of the world music charts.
In 1980, “Back in Black” was released, containing the hits “Back in Black” and “You Shook Me All Night Long”, and was called by critics a significant milestone in the history of hard rock. In 2002, the band received an honorary place in the New York Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
AC / DC is to this day the most popular rock band in their homeland and one of the most recognizable in the world.
Metallica
Rating: 4.5
Metallica is a living symbol of modern hard rock for many, their music and logo are known all over the world. The group's albums are published in multi-million copies, and the adoration of countless fans sometimes reaches almost a religious level.
The band was formed in 1981 by Los Angeles beginner musicians James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Metallica's road to real stardom began with a move to San Francisco and the recording of its 1983 debut album, “Kill 'Em All”.
The next milestone in the development of the group was the release of a disc entitled “… And Justice for All”, which went platinum and brought them their first Grammy. But the greatest effect was made by the fifth album of 1991 – “The Black Album”, which included the songs “The Unforgiven”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “Sad But True” and other masterpieces of rock lyrics. The group has turned from a very popular into a cult one, and, apparently, this status will remain for it for decades.
Aerosmith
Rating: 4.4
The famous icons of world rock have been on the scene for half a century, having sold over 150 million albums during this time and received a considerable number of prestigious music awards.
The group started in 1970 in the American city of Boston, at the initiative of longtime acquaintances Steve Tyler and Joe Perry. They gathered a new team, which, in addition to themselves, also included Ray Tabano and Joey Kramer.
The first album, titled “Aerosmith”, was not well received by critics, but the audience liked it, laying the foundation for further development. The next disc “Get Your Wings” went multi-platinum and brought real worldwide fame.
After the sixth compilation, the group broke up for a full five years and only thanks to the efforts of the manager Tim Collins were able to reunite. Aerosmith released their most iconic hits in the 1990s. Among them, the songs 'Crazy' and 'Cryin', for which the videos were shot, stood out especially clearly, and of course, the immortal 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing', which became the soundtrack of the blockbuster “Armageddon”.
U2
Rating: 4.3
The Irish rock band is ranked 22nd on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Also, during their activity, they managed to sell over 170 million albums and receive twenty-two Grammy awards.
The initiator of the creation of a musical group was 14-year-old Larry Mullen, who in 1976 gathered several talented teenagers, including Paul David Hewson, who took the stage name Bono. The group was first called Feedback, then The Hype, and only in 1978 the mysterious U2 was chosen for it. The name can be associated with both the American Lockheed U-2 bomber and the friendly slang “you too”.
The album “War”, released in 1983, brought serious fame to the group. The song New Year's Day soon became a recognizable hit in many countries around the world. And their fifth album, “The Joshua Tree”, resulted in a photo of the band's members gracing the cover of Time magazine. Since then, U2 has consistently gathered stadiums of fans in its performances. In addition to performing live and recording albums, the group also took part in the creation of soundtracks for a number of Hollywood blockbusters.
Kiss
Rating: 4.3
The Kiss group is known for its original and bright theatrical performances, bright makeup on their faces, extravagant costumes and no less extravagant style of performance. Besides hard and glam rock, the musicians experimented with grunge, art rock and other styles.
The group was formed in 1973 under the name Wicked Lester, but over time the group was reformed. It included Paul Stanley, Jim Simmons, Ace Fraley and Peter Criss. From the very beginning, the concept of theatricalization of performances, the use of make-up, stage outfits and shoes with thick soles was invented.
The first Kiss album was released in 1974. Since that time, the group has shocked the audience with more and more spectacular and unusual concerts using various kinds of special effects.
The song “I Was Made For Lovin 'You”, which was included in the album “Dynasty”, became Kiss's calling card. In 1989, after the release of “Hot in the Shade”, the world heard the famous ballad “Forever”.
The musicians are currently preparing to leave. It was announced that the band members will retire at the conclusion of their latest “One Last Kiss: End of the Road World” tour.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
